Chapter 27

"Ping'an, this..."

Old Pan's forced smile froze completely on his face.

"When we borrowed the money, we never said anything about interest!"

"That's right! We've already returned the money. Why are you bringing up interest now? Fifty small coins? This is extortion!"

Auntie Pan pointed at Chen Ping'an accusingly.

"If word gets out, people will point fingers at you!"

As Chen Ping'an looked at the couple, his patience was wearing thin.

"Extortion? If I were extorting you, I'd be talking about the principle of 'nine out, thirteen in,' not just fifty small coins!"

"Borrowing money and repaying with interest is only natural! No matter where this is brought up, I'm in the right. What's there to point fingers about?"

Chen Ping'an's eyes were sharp, his gaze piercing as he stared at the two of them, exuding an indescribable aura.

Auntie Pan, who was used to throwing tantrums, was momentarily stunned and couldn't utter a word. Old Pan, too, lost his nerve.

"Ping'an, don't mind her. She's just a woman who doesn't know any better."

Old Pan forced a smile.

"Wait here, I'll go get the money."

With that, Old Pan went into the inner room. Soon, he returned with a handful of small coins and handed them to Chen Ping'an.

After taking the coins and confirming the amount, Chen Ping'an's expression remained calm. He showed neither the arrogance of having reclaimed the interest nor any desire to mend the broken relationship.

"With this, we're even."

"Ping'an, it was our fault this time. Please don't hold it against us." Old Pan tried to smooth things over with a dry laugh.

But Chen Ping'an didn't wait to hear the rest. He left with the money.

Swallowing the words he had prepared, Old Pan let out a long sigh. "The younger generation is formidable! I misjudged him. That Chen boy is quite the character!"

He had always thought Chen Ping'an was easy to deal with. Even though he worked for the Town Guard Office, he seemed to value neighborly relations and could be easily manipulated with a bit of reasoning. Who would have thought the young man would be so sharp? Old Pan's usual tactics had failed him.

This time, not only had they damaged their relationship, but they had also lost both the principal and the interest. It was a complete loss!

"Old Pan, that Chen boy is really unreasonable. I'm going to tell everyone in the neighborhood about his true colors!" Auntie Pan chimed in.

"You foolish woman! Short-sighted and ignorant!" Old Pan, already fuming, found an outlet for his anger. "Why did you have to provoke him? If we had handled it properly, we might not have had to pay the fifty coins in interest. Now look what's happened!"

"Me provoke him? Wasn't it you, you old fool, who said the Chen family was just a half-grown boy and that we didn't need to hurry to repay the money? Now you're blaming me for everything!"

Auntie Pan wasn't one to back down either. She stood with her hands on her hips, furious.

"You foolish woman! That was then, this is now. If it weren't for you, none of this would have happened!"

"Get out of my face!"

Old Pan and Auntie Pan were now in a heated argument.

Their son and daughter-in-law, watching their parents quarrel, felt their faces burn with embarrassment.

"Dad, Mom, both of you, calm down," Young Pan tried to intervene.

"Shut up! This was all for your wedding!"

"..."

By the time Chen Ping'an returned home, Chen Erya had already set the table, waiting for him.

"Brother, you're back!"

Seeing Chen Ping'an return, Chen Erya hurried over to take the bowl from his hands.

"Yes, I'm back," Chen Ping'an nodded.

"Why were you gone so long? The food's almost cold," Chen Erya said as she uncovered the dishes.

Chen Ping'an smiled and briefly explained what had happened.

"How could they do that?!"

The little girl was furious, her chest heaving with anger.

"The world is full of all kinds of people. There are plenty like them," Chen Ping'an said calmly.

If everyone followed the rules, what would be the point of the Town Guard Office?

"Hmph! We lent them money, and in the end, it's our fault?"

"Haha, it's fine. It's resolved now. Oh, by the way, take this money. Remember to buy more meat tomorrow."

Chen Ping'an handed the bag of coins to Chen Erya with a smile.

With this money, they could ease their household expenses a bit. His nightly meat consumption wasn't cheap.

Salt, fine rice, meat—it all cost money.

Now that the debt was repaid, their savings were at their lowest. But things would get better from here.

After dinner, Chen Ping'an helped Chen Erya wash the dishes. Then he went to the courtyard to stretch and move around.

Once he was sufficiently warmed up, Chen Ping'an began practicing Iron Shirt in the sand and gravel.

Practice, practice, practice—it's all about consistency!

As he rolled around, his entire body's qi and blood, as well as his skin, were constantly stimulated.

An hour later.

**Name:** Chen Ping'an 

**Realm:** Peak of the first level of Qi and Blood 

**Martial Arts:** Iron Shirt, Minor Achievement (13/40) 

"Amazing! Amazing!"

Chen Ping'an emerged from the sand and gravel, his skin red and covered in faint blood streaks. But his mood was incredibly uplifted.

Two experience points in the morning, three at night—five points in a single day.

At this rate, it wouldn't take long for him to achieve major mastery in Iron Shirt. By the sixth morning, he would have accumulated enough experience.

"Brother, let me help you."

Chen Erya ran over with a basin of water to help Chen Ping'an clean up.

"Mm, Erya is so good," Chen Ping'an smiled.

The night passed warmly and peacefully.

Early the next morning, after completing two Iron Shirt practice sessions, Chen Ping'an headed to the Town Guard Office for duty.

While waiting for the pre-shift meeting, he noticed that Zheng Shiyong was surrounded by more constables than before.

"What's going on?" Chen Ping'an wondered.

Logically, even though Zheng Shiyong was the nephew of Constable Zheng, he had only been at the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office for a short time and was still a temporary constable. He shouldn't have been able to gather so many people.

After all, many constables kept their distance from Zheng Shiyong.

However, Chen Ping'an's question was soon answered during the pre-shift meeting.

The meeting was presided over by Constable Yan, who stood on the platform, looking down at everyone.

"Our Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office is truly a place of fortune, producing talents one after another. Everyone knows Zheng Shiyong. He hasn't been here long, but just the other day, he officially entered the first level of Qi and Blood, stepping into the martial path! I hope everyone can learn from Zheng Shiyong, train hard, enter the martial path, and contribute to our Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office."

As Constable Yan finished speaking, cheers erupted from the crowd, praising Zheng Shiyong and the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office.

"It's all thanks to the guidance of the superiors that I was able to make this breakthrough the other day."

Zheng Shiyong stepped forward at the right moment to say a few words.

"In the days to come, I will fulfill my duties and shine for the Nanquan Lane Town Guard Office."

Zheng Shiyong's words were met with another round of cheers from the constables and a nod of approval from Constable Yan.

Though it was hard to tell how many of those cheers were genuine.

Monkey Head, standing nearby, curled his lips but said nothing.

Chen Ping'an watched Zheng Shiyong, who was basking in the spotlight, feeling neither joy nor sorrow.